1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to catheters and, more particularly, to locking loop drainage catheters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Locking loop drainage catheters are well known in the art. A traditional locking loop catheter includes a hub at a proximal end with an outlet port for draining the contents of the vessel in which the catheter is deployed. A flexible tube extends distally from the hub, with the tube including a lumen extending from a proximal end of the tube to the distal end of the tube. Drainage fluid flows through the lumen toward the hub. The catheter is held in place by manipulating the distal end of the tube to create a looped portion.
To manipulate the distal end of the catheter, a fixed end of a suture is attached to the hub, and the suture extends distally through the tube lumen. The suture extends through a side port of the tube near the distal end of the tube, such that the suture is disposed outside of the tube lumen. The suture re-enters the lumen through another side port and then extends proximally back toward the hub, where a free end of the suture can be adjusted.
To create the loop to lock the catheter, the free end of the suture is pulled proximally relative to the hub and tube. Pulling on the free end shortens the length of the suture that remains disposed within the tube, which moves the two side ports close together and loops the distal end of the catheter. With the free end of the suture retracted, the suture is locked to the hub to keep the catheter in a locked position.
However, locking the free end of the suture is time consuming and cumbersome. Accordingly, unlocking the suture is similarly time-consuming and cumbersome. Many surgeons will elect to simply cut off the hub at the completion of the draining procedure and when the catheter is no longer needed. With the hub cut off, the suture has free ends and is no longer in tension, and the tube will resiliently return to a generally non-looped state, allowing for retrieval of the tube out of the patient.
However, during the period where the catheter is deployed in the body, the suture can become stuck to tissue in the area. When the cut catheter is removed, the suture can ultimately be left behind in the body.
Additionally, as the free end of the suture must extend out of the hub and be retractable while also extending through the lumen, fluid in the tube lumen can sometimes leak from the location where the free end of the suture protrudes, which is undesirable.
Thus, improvements to locking loop drainage catheters can be made.